The present invention relates to an arrangement or device for holding or mounting a built-in cooking apparatus, especially a glass ceramic cooking apparatus.
A device for holding a built-in cooking apparatus in an opening provided in a cooking apparatus receptacle is known comprising a cooking apparatus housing containing heating elements; a cooking apparatus upper portion including a cooking panel and a border frame around the cooking panel; means for releasable clamping connection of the cooking apparatus upper portion from above with the cooking apparatus housing; and attachment means for attaching the cooking apparatus housing in the cooking apparatus receptacle.
It is known that it is advantageous to form the means for connecting a built-in cooking apparatus with a cooking apparatus receptacle so that a comparatively easy required releasability is guaranteed. An arrangement is described for example in German Patent Document DE 91 08 044 U1, in which the entire built-in cooking apparatus comprises a cooking apparatus housing with the heating elements arranged therein and a cooking panel with associated frame structure attached to it and mounted on the cooking apparatus housing. In assembly this built-in cooking apparatus is inserted from above in the opening provided for it in the cooking apparatus receptacle and is secured in this position by snap- or lock-connections. Clamping springs are mounted laterally on the cooking apparatus frame, which cooperate with corresponding attachment means, such as round pegs, pointing horizontally inwardly into the opening of the cooking apparatus receptacle. To guarantee tolerance composition in regard to the attachment means, the clamping springs themselves are slidable laterally via a clamping connection on the cooking apparatus frame.
The arrangement described in German Patent Document DE 93 01 942 U1 differs from the above-described arrangement only in that the clamping springs are not arranged on the cooking apparatus frame, but instead on the wall of the opening in the cooking apparatus receptacle and the corresponding attachment means, heat lock noses or latch elements, are provided on the sides of the cooking apparatus frame and not on the cooking apparatus receptacle walls.
These known mounting arrangements have the disadvantage that either the built-in tolerances must be are very narrow, or however, as described above, comparatively expensive structures must be provided, which compensate for the dimensional variations occurring. Difficulties occur in the known cooking apparatus because the attachment of the connecting means in the cooking apparatus receptacle and the corresponding connecting means on the frame of the built-in cooking apparatus is performed at different sites so that comparatively large variations in the position of the associated connecting means relative to each other must be expected. Thus the connection means is mounted on the frame of the built-in cooking apparatus by the cooking apparatus manufacturer, while the connecting means in the cooking apparatus receptacle are provided by the kitchen builder "prior to mounting". It is further disadvantageous that the cooking apparatus must be completely removed again during servicing and subsequently disassembled.
One arrangement for mounting the built-in cooking apparatus of the type described above is taught in German Patent Document DE 77 18 108 U1 and also in German Patent Document DE 40 04 093 A1. Both cooking apparatus described in these cooking apparatus have a two part structure. The cooking apparatus housing, which acts to receive the heating elements, is securely screwed to the edge of a counter top hole as a separate structure. This work step is performed first during installation of the built-in cooking apparatus. In the next work step the glass ceramic heating panel held in a frame is placed on the cooking apparatus housing from above and secured to it. The connection between the cooking panel frame and the cooking apparatus housing is made with locking means provided on both parts which correspond with and are suitable for each other. Thus the border frame for the cooking panel has locking pins on its outer edge which engage with appropriate lock receptacles, which are rigidly connected with the cooking apparatus housing. When the cooking panel with the border frame is installed on the cooking apparatus housing the locking pins engaged in the locking receptacles whereby a downward directed force acts on the locking pins so that a reliable connection of the cooking panel with the border frame results, particularly at the sealing gasket arranged between these parts.
The above-described known apparatus has the disadvantage that the lock receptacles must be attached to the cooking apparatus housing. It is also disadvantageous that the cooking apparatus housing must also be connected by additional attachment devices with the counter top besides the comparatively complicated and expensive locking receptacles. This results in a comparatively high manufacturing and installation cost.